More than we thought
by Dina
Summary: Sequel to Clear View. TATE of course. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you all for the lovely feedback. Made me want to write another story. This is TATE of course. Your comments are very useful and great to read. Please do so with this story too.

………A year and a month later….

"He actually cried? That's so sweet." Max said to her.

"I know…I never thought he could be this happy. I had taken the pregnancy's tests before so we were quite sure but not until the doctor confirmed it he truly believed it. I guess he felt so guilty of probably not being able to give me such a precious thing as a baby that it became too much for him. Gibbs wondered what was going on with Tony the day we found out." Kate explained to her.

"I can somewhat relate because I remember how it felt when I told Andy I suspected I was pregnant. He was so happy and called his mother straight away."

"Yeah…I guess it is something special when it is the first grandchild. My mother is really happy too since it is her first grandchild. My dad is calmer but still very happy." Kate told her.

"I've got to warn you though…Sophia thought you had decided to never have children because of what happened to Tony since his chances of becoming a father had become smaller. She is really excited and may give you a lot of advice you may not want. Overly protective and such. I remember that she complained that we lived so far away and that she never got to see Julia. You live a bit closer but she will probably still bring that subject up."

"I thought we had a good relationship Sophia and I. Tony gets a long great with my parents especially my mother." Kate said to her. Tony and Kate had decided to just hope for the best and if they hadn't become pregnant the ordinary way they would try to get help but the ordinary way worked and it worked a lot faster than they had planned.

"The Dinozzo boys can charm their way into any family but it is a lot harder for their wives to charm their way into the Dinozzo family. You'll see…" Max warned her.

"I'll be on my guard." Kate said trying to remember that she has to remember what Max said. She had more experience with Sophia than she did. All she knew was that Sophia wasn't all that happy about them having their honeymoon in Florida over Christmas instead of spending it with her.

"David seems more relaxed" Kate said about Tony's and Andy's father.

"He is…Andy said he became so when he met his wife. I guess their new marriages are going better than theirs did." Max continued talking about Sophia and David.

"I'm looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow but I'm still a bit nervous." Kate said to her.

"I'm still a newcomer so we're in this together…Are you feeling alright?" Max wondered after seeing Kate suddenly becoming pale.

"The morning sickness hasn't gone away and I don't know why. I just hope I'll feel better tomorrow. We're here to celebrate their birthdays and I don't want to mess it up by going to the toilet every five minutes." Kate said a bit worried. The brothers had already celebrated their birthdays a few days ago but Sophia insisted on them coming to celebrate them this weekend so Julia and Kate could meet the whole family.

"Not every pregnancy is easy. Mine wasn't a joyride either but totally worth it. Isn't that true Julia?" Max said while smiling to Julia who was sitting on her lap.

"She's so lovely." Kate told her.

"Julia, want to sit in your aunt's lap?" Max asked while giving her over to Kate.

"Do you think I'll be a good mother?" Kate asked her.

"You'll be a wonderful mother. I thought about the same thing during my pregnancy. I asked the same thing to my sister who already had two kids and she said the same thing to me. I guess it is my turn now to say it to somebody else…Julia feels the same." Max said to her while looking how happy Julia seemed with Kate.

"I hope you're right." Kate said to her.

"Enjoy your pregnancy and don't worry so much. Then the 15 of October will come so much faster." Max encouraged her.

"I know…" Kate said thoughtful.

"Why don't you rest before they come home? You had a long trip today and you should rest." Max said to her.

"You had a long trip too and you had Julia with you. Travelling on a Friday isn't that easy then."

"Not while being pregnant either." Max continued.

"Still better than when Sophia decides to stay with you for a few days…" Kate said to her smiling a bit.

"I heard that she was with you a month ago…Yes, it is easier to come here then to let her come to you." Max agreed knowing from experience.

……………

"So do you want to come down?" Sophia said straight after she had opened the door to the room Max and Julia stayed in.

"I have to put Julia to bed and Kate is going to rest." Max replied.

"Caitlin, are you alright? You seem a bit pale." Sophia asked worried.

"I'm alright. I was at the doctor this week and he said just to rest if I didn't feel well." Kate explained to her not really liking that Sophia called her Caitlin. Only a few persons she knew could call her Caitlin but she had to accept Sophia did what she wanted.

"Did he order bed rest? I can stay with you during the rest of the pregnancy if necessary? You work too much." Sophia quickly said.

Max and Kate looked a bit horrified because having Sophia living with you was like having Sophia living with you.

"No bed rest. Gibbs totally understands my situation. He is hiring someone else to be there when I'm on maternity leave. I'll be down soon." Kate told her mother-in-law.

"I'll see you both soon downstairs. I have a movie we can watch or some home videos of the boys when they were younger. I think we can watch the home videos first." Sophia said on her way out.

"Nice save." Max said to Kate as soon as their mother-in-law had left.

"Was it? I'm not so sure about that! So have you had a movie night with Sophia before?" Kate wondered.

"Actually no…This will be interesting. " Max replied.

……..After the movie night…….

"It wasn't that bad." Kate told Max when they were on their way up to their rooms.

"No it wasn't. They should be here in two hours… Ironic that both had to work today." Max concluded.

"I know. I called McGee to see how it was and it was quiet. Gibbs and Tony were out somewhere and McGee was the one taking care of things at the office."

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to New York for 4th of July." Max then suddenly asked her.

"Actually I and Tony had talked about inviting you to us then. I guess we can decide when they come home."

"Ok."

"I have another question…Does hormones make you overly jealous because I can't stand the thought of them hiring someone to replace me and knowing it can be a woman and knowing how Tony acts." Kate suddenly asked her "sister-in-law".

"That's the bad side of pregnancies and being married to a Dinozzo. As long as you show you trust them they will run after every thing you crave and put up with the craziness a pregnancy will cause. Tony may look but never ever think about another woman as long as he has you. I know Tony has asked Andy a lot about how to act during your pregnancy." Max explained to her.

"I didn't know that…I guess we're more similar than we thought and then I mean all four of us" Kate said surprised but happy at the same time now knowing that Tony cared so much.

"I guess we are." Max told her.


	2. Chapter 2

Some background info was needed so here it is.

…………………………..

A lot had happened in NCIS but Kate getting pregnant really stirred things up. Gibbs hated taking orders from up above and now he got orders to get Abby an assistant and to get a replacement for Kate. Gibbs hated interviewing people because he wanted to see how people acted in real situations, in action before choosing anyone to work for him. He did that with Dinozzo, Abby, Todd and McGee. Ducky was the only one he didn't know so well when they started to work together but they had now worked together for years and it had worked perfectly.

While having to go through that it still wasn't his main concern. His wife Lauren had taken a big interest in his house. She wanted it to reflect them. Lauren had changed her last name and wanted them to act like a married couple the days they were together. He was still surprised that she still hadn't mentioned the possibility to move in together since now she was totally into his…No it was their house now…Lauren often visited him than he visited her. It worked perfectly for her and he knew he shouldn't say anything until she said anything. Why change something someone thinks works perfect? Lauren had her children in New York and so did Gibbs but he did try to visit his kids every time he was there. Lauren didn't mind him meeting his kids at all because they still had alone time when he was there. Lauren loves her family Gibbs thought and she clearly took an interest in her extended family too which now somehow even included his team not only his children.

……………….

While Gibbs and the Dinozzo's lives were changing so were Abby's and McGee's. McGee had met a teacher who he had dated for a few months and he was happy. Abby had met a marine officer who could sign language. They actually met through Gibbs. Marine officer Thomas McKinley had come into the office to talk to Gibbs about something when he had seen them do sign language. He thought she looked cute and signed back to her telling her she looked cute. Since that day they had been together…

……………..Back in Baltimore with the Dinozzo's…………..

"Hi! Kate said to Tony when he entered the room.

"Max said you were sleeping." He said gentle while sitting down on the bed.

"I was but I woke up just now. How did the trip go?" she asked him.

"Uneventful. I heard that a lot more was going on here." Tony told her.

"If you mean movie night than yes. You were really cute when you were young."

"Oh…So she showed you those movies…" Tony said to her. Kate turned on the light so she could see him.

"Yes, those movies…"

"Mom said you weren't feeling well. She is worried about you." Tony told her while caressing her belly.

"Just tired. I'm fine. Did everything go well at work?"

"Just fine but I could tell Gibbs wasn't in the best of moods. It isn't good to know so much about other people's marriages. I couldn't just tell Gibbs that I know Lauren has taken a bigger interest in the house and he should accept it." Tony told her.

"I can't help that Lauren and I talk on the phone. She talks to Abby too. We aren't talking about things that Lauren and Gibbs haven't already talked about! I'm not causing a rift in their marriage if that is what you think!" Kate said starting to feel accused and angry.

"No…No…I'm not…I didn't mean it to come out that way…Don't get angry at me…He's just sensitive about his boat…Please don't get mad at me…I've just been here for five minutes…" Tony pleaded but it was too late.

……………..Twenty minutes later………..

"So why are you down here?" Andy asked his brother.

"She suddenly got very angry at me instead of happy to see me. I tried to make her feel better but I didn't work. I thought I was good at comforting her but I guess not. I thought I would let her cool of a bit before I headed back up because she said get out several times. I think it is the hormones." Tony said not feeling like a good husband.

"I think so. If it makes you feel better I got sent down too. Julia was upset about something before we came home and now Julia is crying so much and I don't know why. I tried to comfort her but it didn't work. Max took over saying I should get something to eat and hopefully she will stop crying." Andy explained.

"Andy, I can't believe your advice didn't include the advice of never leaving your pregnant wife alone. Now I have two persons crying in my room." Max yelled from upstairs not happy.

"We messed up." Tony said while putting down his glass of water to go up. Andy decided to do the same. Just then Ted, Sophia's husband showed up.

"Sophia got up and went to them. Wait a minute before you go up if you don't want four upset women watching you. We're outnumbered." He told them.

"This is so difficult. How did you manage when your first wife was pregnant?" Tony asked him.

"I just did. Most of the times I wasn't right but being there and just going with your gut feeling… And for you two now just follow my advice then it will go well…" Ted told them knowing his wife could probably make them feel better.

All three of them we're quiet for a while.

"A minute has gone now, right?" Tony asked.

"Yes, it has. Let's go up." Ted replied but he knew it had actually gone a few more minutes.

………………….

"She isn't crying!" Andy said a bit amazed when he entered the room.

"Your mother said I should try the rocking chair since nothing else worked. I sang to her and a few minutes later she was asleep." Max explained to her.

"That's so great. I will remember to that next time, Max. What did you sing?" Andy asked her.

"I sang whatever I came up. I sang that she was a nice girl and that sleeping is wonderful and nice girls can fall asleep. It just worked." Max said relaxed.

"Kate, are you alright?" Tony then asked her.

"Yeah, I am…We somehow started to talk about the picture I drew of Julia and how much everyone loved it…You haven't seen it yet Andy but Max got it…Then we started to talk about me drawing pictures of our child…" Kate answered now with a smile on her face.

"You got an amazing talent. I hope our child will get it too." Tony told her. Ted nodded and just Andy and Tony saw that. They got it right this time.

During the rest of the stay there the families had a wonderful time there. The brothers' father took his extended family with him so everyone could meet everyone. One big happy family reunion and no one wanted to go back to work on Tuesday.

…………During the weekend at the Gibbs………….

"We've talked a lot but it is still something wrong. Is it me or is it work?" Lauren asked him.

"It's not you. Work is fine. McGee showed he can handle things while we're gone and Tony and Kate are doing fine too."

"Worried about Tony learning so much that he might take over after you sooner than you thought? I'm sure just because they wanted to hire a new person doesn't mean that they want to get rid of you. Tony has a lot on his mind now and becoming boss will conflict on his fatherly duties and he will only take over the day you will retire." Lauren told him wanting him to feel better.

"That isn't what I'm thinking about…yet…We've decided on who will be Abby's assistant and almost sure who will be our newest agent. I'm just thinking that there is so much going on right now and so many new things, new people…Just concentrating on my boat for a while didn't work…I feel something is going on and I can't put my finger on it." He explained to her.

"It isn't your personal life, it isn't work…What is it then?" Lauren asked her husband.

"Maybe I'm too bored…I need some drama in my life so the boat will calm me down and now nothing needs to be calmed down…Can actually everyone I know be happy at the same time?" He asked her.

"Let's ask your boat." She said while taking his hand and they went downstairs. A lot more than just taking care of the boat happened downstairs.

…………………………..Everyone was back at work on Tuesday……………………………

"Someone broke into the base during the weekend and it happened twice Nothing was stolen the first time but a few supplies were stolen the second time. Another marine got caught drunk driving and a third got into a fight at a club and a forth one has reported a missing gun who he thinks his daughter who run away took with her. The daughter run away with her boyfriend who is also a son of another marine and that boy also took his mother's gun. The police are handling all those cases but we can take over anyone." McGee told his boss.

"Kate, take the drunk driving, Tony take the fight at the club and McGee and I take the two runaways. First we all go and see if we can figure out who broke into the base. " Gibbs told them and then they started to work.

……………………….4th of July at Tony's and Kate's apartment…………………….

"I'm glad you could come." Kate told Max, Andy and Julia.

"Our pleasure. So how is the packing going?" Andy asked them.

"Quite well. The house looks nice but Tony is not so happy about the fact that we will now live closer to Gibbs than we do now." Kate explained.

"I'm ok with it. I'm getting used to it. Just five months ago we started to look for a house and now we've bought one. I'm sorry the move collided with the 4th of July." Tony told them.

"You don't have to apologies again. We knew you were moving and Kate couldn't travel because of doctor's orders so we're fine with it." Andy answered.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm a person who likes long chapters and this chapter isn't as action filled as you thought it would maybe be. This chapter is long too and if you want then I can try to only write 2 WORD pages as a chapter but I like writing details sometimes. Tell me what you think.

I also want to thank everyone for their feedback.

………………Sunday 6th of July…………….

"A week is just too little. I wish you didn't need to go home tomorrow." Kate told her sister-in-law Max. Max, she and Julia sat on a bench in the park resting after taking a walk. Julia was playing in the sand.

"I know…We've had a wonderful time and it's nice to see your family. Next time we'll see you two you'll actually have a baby. It's so exciting." Max said to her.

"I know." Kate said thinking about holding her baby and being happy.

"Do you want to go back home? I know you have to go to the toilet often." Max said to her recalling how many times she has complained about needing to go the toilet every fifth minute.

"No, I'm ok. Taking a walk seems to be good for me. Do you want to go home?" Kate asked her. Kate waited and waited for an answer but it didn't come.

"Max, hello!" Kate said waving in front of her face.

"Ok, don't move just listen. I have a feeling we're being followed. That guy we saw earlier today he is here again." Max told her.

"Maybe he lives in the community. I don't know so many around here since we just moved in."

"Seeing him twice doesn't make me suspicious but seeing that he is filming us is. Don't turn around just act normal. I'm going to call the guys and tell them the licence plate number and tell them to get us. That guy will probably know something is going on if we suddenly start to write something on a paper." Max explained to her. Kate got really worried and even if she was tired she went up to Julia and told her she couldn't play anymore and that her father was going to pick them up soon. While Max was dialling Julia and Kate went back to her.

……………………….

"It took four weekends and help from friends, family and movers but now most of it is in the house unpacked and the apartment is empty and clean. Finally!" Tony said with a sigh of relief looking around the living room.

"I understand how you feel. Now you can fully concentrate yourself on your family and new house. Congrats big brother." Andy said to him happy about his big brother being so happy.

"Thanks and hearing the words big brother is an unusual thing coming from you so I take it like a great compliment."

"You should." Andy then said.

"So are you still sure Kate will love what I've done to the nursery the last couple of days?" Tony then asked him now worried since it was today he was going to show her the room.

"She'll love it. I'm positive." Andy said just before he heard his cell phone ring.

……………….

Andy took it up and answered it. Tony saw the look on his face and when Andy quickly wanted a pen and paper he started to feel uneasy.

"We'll get there as soon as possible." Andy said after scribbling down something on the paper and then hanging up.

"Someone is following them. Max is worried." Andy told him.

"What the….And the gun is at work. I know I should have one at home but we both agreed that isn't a safe thing to have around children. I'll take the car keys." Tony said now very worried because instantly he thought it was Ari who was doing this.

"My car has the car seat so we'll take it." Andy said now almost at the door.

…………

The park wasn't far from the house so it only took them ten minutes to get there and their wives seemed really relieved when they got there.

"Thanks for coming so quickly…He took off just as you came. I think he saw you." Max stated now holding Julia tightly. Julia felt how scared her mother felt and now she started to cry.

"It'll be alright Julia." Her dad told her trying to comfort her along with her mother.

"Nothing happened, right?" Tony asked concerned.

"Nothing. We had seen him a few times today but we thought he lived in the area until he started filming us. I took a picture of him on my cell phone but we were quite far away so I don't know how good it is. I zoomed as much as I could." Kate explained to the men.

"That's great. Something that will help." Andy stated wanting to catch the person who made his family so scared.

"Who is he after? Us or you? We all are in law enforcement!" Max asked.

"I think it is us. I guess it is good you are going home tomorrow. I don't want you to be in danger just because of us." Kate said now sad and worried.

"I'm so sorry your vacation will end like this. We love having you here and wish you could stay longer." Tony told his brother and his family.

"Ahhhh….." Kate yelled.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked now so frightened.

"I don't know." Kate said touching her stomach.

………………Thursday 8th of July………….

"Kate, you don't need to be here." Gibbs told her. It was his first day back at work after the holidays. Tony had been the boss while he was gone.

"I don't want to be alone at home." Kate said to her boss. She sat in the chair with a pillow behind her back, a mattress on the floor together with a pillow and blanket since sitting in the chair wasn't the best thing to do according to the doctor. She was worried about the man who was following her and also her baby. The scare they had at the hospital just became too much for her.

"Just as long as you don't start to live here. We don't want Ducky to suddenly deliver a baby." Gibbs told them.

"We won't, boss." Tony replied.

"Ok, let's get on with it. It was a stolen licence plate, an unknown man who followed you…Is your brother and his family alright? No one who has a grudge for them because of a case?" Gibbs asked again even though he had asked them that as soon as they had called him on Sunday.

"Nope…They've checked and their co-workers have checked…That person is after us." Tony quickly replied.

"I thought I had been followed before they came to visit but I thought I was only paranoid but I guess not…Maybe it was Tony they followed but since we are together so much…" Kate then said to him. Tony knew this already but it was news for the rest of the team.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this." Gibbs insured them not wanting them to worry about another thing since they already had a lot on their mind.

"Ahhh…." Kate said and now everyone got worried and watched her.

She looked up and saw everyone staring at her.

"The baby just kicked and it hurt…The doctor said that I was in a lot of stress on Sunday and as long as I'm taking it easy I'll be alright and most importantly the baby will be alright." Kate told them not wanting them to be too worried.

"What a relief!" Tony said.

"I'm ordering you to lay down…The rest of you will try to find out as much as possible but still try to work on old cases. Amanda I now you're new here but try to help wherever you can. Stick with McGee for now and I'll see how things are going. Palmer, are you sure you can handle things alone since Ducky is away for a few more days?" Gibbs said to everyone.

"I can handle it." Palmer replied feeling not so sure how he would cope but he knew he had to take it one day at a time.

"Meagan, how are things going?" Gibbs asked Abby's new assistant.

"Great." She answered too scared to say anything else in the current situation.

"We're all here to help and you shouldn't be afraid to ask or say your opinion. We're not that scary." Gibbs said and the others couldn't believe it was him who said that.

"I know what you are thinking…Get back to work…" Gibbs demanded and everyone except Kate started to work. She lay down on the floor.

……………….A few minutes later…………….

"Why are you down there?" a girl around the age of 15 asked.

"Doctor's orders. Why are you here?" Kate asked the girl. The girl was the same one who had runaway with her boyfriend and took her father's gun with her. After a few weeks on the run the police had caught them and sent them home. Kate and Gibbs told them when they came home that they would destroy their futures if they pulled another stunt like this again.

"Nick is waiting downstairs…His parents are so mad at him so I had to talk him out of doing something stupid. Being home isn't working for us. My parents are crazy too. You know we aren't wild kids just misunderstood. I just wanted to make sure you won't come after us." The girl named Isabella said.

"Come after whom?" Tony asked going up his wife. He remembered who the girl was.

"They want to run away again." Kate stated just as Gibbs came back with Nick beside him.

"I heard all about it…Why don't you two go and sit over there while we all discuss something?" Gibbs asked them.

"I'm not going soft if you think so. It's not Lauren's ideas and influences…I'm just acting like this because it is the best way to act right now…Anyway about everything…The two runaways are not doing so well…I know something else is going on but neither of them are saying anything. ..The face on the picture is still unidentified. I'm sorry for that." Gibbs told Kate and Tony.

"You did your best." Tony said.

"The offer is still up if you want to." Gibbs said to them thinking about what Lauren had suggested to them without his knowledge and that was letting them stay at his big house until they caught who was following them.

"We're fine." Both said at the same time.

"Ok…" Gibbs said before turning around facing the two youths.

…………..

"You two…Either you tell me everything or I'll do something you will not like…Amanda and McGee come with me…You two too." Gibbs said to them and they all headed towards the interrogation room. Soon they had found out Nick had got kicked out of his home and Isabella had asked her parents to let him stay there until he sorted out things with his parents and then her father hit her. It had only happened a few times before but he hit her several times now not being able to stop and her mother thought she deserved it since nothing else worked. Drugs, guns and running away had been too much for Nick's and Isabella's parents even though they said they only took drugs a few times but stopped months ago.

……………A few hours later……..

Kate was still lying on the floor. The rest of the team were doing their work and somehow Gibbs managed to talk to the teenagers' parents and even though Nick's parents refused to take him back and Isabella refused to go back home he found a solution on where they could stay this night at least…Hearing them blame each other and saying that just because now both Nick's and Isabella's older siblings have moved out didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted to…Well somehow as soon as Lauren stepped into the office since she had come back home with Gibbs everyone was sorted out to Gibbs' dismay…The kids could stay with them until the police had taken care of Isabella's father and Nick's parents came back to their senses.


	4. Chapter 4

……………Thursday 10th of July………….

"I'm not familiar with this but why are those two lying on the floor." Nick asked Gibbs when he came into the office.

"They're too stubborn for their own good." Gibbs told him.

"Just like you." Nick then said but after seeing Tony's face he quickly regretted that comment.

"You learn soon enough what not to say…And I'm here because I got a cold and both my wife and Gibbs thinks resting for a while is a thing I should do right now. I can get really sick if I get a cold since I have some chronic injuries." Tony then said. He hated explaining this because it made people think of him being sicker than he appears or feel but he knew the consequences of not telling people and not resting…If something happens they don't know what to do…The other reason he hated explaining this was because of who did this to him. The same guy who is probably after him and Kate now.

"So how are things going on for you two?" Kate then asked Nick and Isabella. None of them answered and Lauren who was there felt obliged to answer.

"It could be better…Isabella's father and stepmother are getting a divorce and since there is no one who can take care of Isabella right now she has to stay with us a while longer. Nick's parents are moving and Nick doesn't want to go with them and his parent's said he could stay with us until Nick said he would do whatever they say. He didn't go home yesterday as he promised so everyone agreed that if we all knew he was safe he could stay a few more days with us until he has accepted the idea of moving." Lauren explained.

"Why don't you come with me so I can show you how things go on in the lab?" Meagan then stated.

"That seems interesting." Isabella answered.

"I'll come with you." Lauren said. Then all four of them went to the lab.

……………….A few minutes later……..

"So it was Lauren's idea." Kate wondered.

"Lauren is going back to New York on Saturday and I don't know what will happen after that. I take it one day at a time. When you live in the military it is normal to move a lot but Nick finally had enough…It didn't help that Isabella and Nick suddenly decided to break up...I had enough…I thought my life would get easier but no…Ari comes back and two young people need my help and Lauren loves acting like a mother again…" Gibbs complained.

"I heard that." Lauren suddenly said.

"It wasn't against you." Gibbs apologized.

"Great because I decided to take them with me to New York. They've never been there and they need to getaway and I need some company. I already cleared it with Nick's parents and Isabella's father reluctantly said yes to it." Lauren said.

"How could you do that in only a few minutes?" Gibbs asked very surprised.

"I asked yesterday and now Isabella's father just said yes. If everything works out maybe we can become Isabella's temporary guardian." Lauren then told him.

"Slow down…How come I'm hearing all these plans just now? Have you the same plans for Nick? I'm not up for it! Have you told them?" Gibbs quickly asked now worried and upset at his wife.

"I'm not stupid. Of course I haven't told them. I thought I'd ask you before and New York…Well you weren't coming so I thought I could make that decision alone." Lauren explained.

"Well you can't…We're married now…You're bonding with them…" Gibbs protested.

"I thought you would never realise those things…And they are coming with me to New York." Lauren stated not changing her mind.

"Fine…" Gibbs said angry.

"I'll go back to them." Lauren said quickly walking out of the room.

"Let's start to resolve our cases." Gibbs said while going back to his desk. He hated having fights with Lauren but lately he had done that a lot often. Gibbs knew he had to find out why.

………………..Later that day……………

"Everyone has done great today. Dinozzo and Dinozzo you can go home early if you want." Gibbs said thinking that having them lying on the floor isn't good for them and isn't helping so much. They weren't working anyway.

"Gibbs, sir…"Palmer suddenly said to him.

"Yes." Gibbs said turning around.

"Dr Mallard's mother just passed away. He went home. He said he'll be gone a few days." Palmer told him and the rest of the team. Everyone was shocked. Kate and Tony went up so they now sat up.

"That's so sad. We need to call him and tell him our condolences." McGee said.

"I agree and say that we can visit too." Kate then said.

"Yeah…" Gibbs said now speechless and often he isn't that way.

"We can stop by on our way home." Tony then said since they were going home early.

"I'll go call him now." Gibbs said.

The silence in the room said pretty much. Losing someone close to you is really hard and they knew Ducky was hurting badly. His mother lived with him for so long until she ended up in the hospital a week ago. No one thought she would die just get better in the hospital.

………………The next day Friday 11th of July…………….

Everyone was in the room and still shocked over yesterday's news. Not much was said but the workday needed to be started and it was Gibbs' job as the boss to start it.

"Ok, this is how it is…Palmer is alone until Ducky is back. That means everyone has to help him as much as they can. Kate and Tony have desk duties for the time being and can't leave this room until I say so. McAllister and McGee have both inside and outdoors duties today. So if we go to a crime scene it will only be us three there." Gibbs said just before McGee's phone rang. He answered and took some notes. Everyone waited what he was going to say.

……………..

"A marine officer was found dead at the base 20 minutes ago." McGee stated.

"Looks like the new duty schedules are getting tested straight away. So Palmer, McGee and McAllister go with me and the rest stay in. Tony if you are up for it maybe you can go with me to talk to the officer's family later on. McGee and McAllister need to be here to investigate." Gibbs asked Tony.

"I'm up for it, boss." Tony answered.

"Good."

"I can do it too. I have just as much experience as he has." Kate said wanting to feel useful.

"Desk duty Dinozzo and Tony has done this a few more times in Baltimore." Gibbs stated so that Kate didn't feel bad about Gibbs not wanting her to work..

"No, he hasn't. He told me so." Kate said looking at Tony.

"I'm so sorry…I just didn't want to look bad when I acted like that the first time we did it together…It was before we were together and…"Tony said before being interrupted by his angry wife.

"And what!" Kate wondered. Her hormones had made her a lot angrier than she usually got over things like this.

"I love you really much…Gibbs I think I can follow to the crime scene too. I'm not that sick any longer." Tony said.

"What!" Kate almost screamed.

"You know what. Why don't you take Kate to my place where Lauren and the kids are and then come to the crime scene? You won't be alone there and there is a bed there too which we don't have here." Gibbs suggested so they would have some time alone to talk even though he also suggested it because he needed Tony now. It was a little selfish but the best way to sort this out as smoothly and fast as possible. Kate and Tony didn't object and they did what Gibbs suggested.

…………………………Late that afternoon………………………

"Ducky, thanks for coming in but you don't need to be here." Gibbs told his medical examiner.

"There isn't much I can do at home. I've called everyone and talked to everyone. I'll be seeing everyone at the funeral next week. I just want to do this. My family isn't coming today so I can at least be useful now…So what have you done here Palmer?" Ducky asked his assistant. His assistant had called and asked him about doing the autopsy alone and he decided that he at least needed some supervision. One day Palmer needed to be able to do this alone and today was the day even if the timing was really bad.

"I'll let you get to it." Gibbs said as they both already had started the examination.

………………..

Gibbs went back to the office and to his surprise Lauren, Kate and the kids were there. It just reminded him about all the problems he had and how great of a stress reliever his boat was.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked them.

"Let's see. You said you wouldn't come home at the time you promised. If you don't come then we come. What's so urgent about this case?" Lauren said to him.

"It's unclear how he died and if someone killed him we don't want a murderer walking around, don't we?" Gibbs replied.

"I see…You know agent McAllister has children don't you?" Lauren asked him.

"Agent McAllister you are free to go home!" Gibbs said. He was actually going to tell her to go home just as he came back to the office but somehow Lauren beat him to it. He wasn't happy about that.

"What about the weekend?" agent Amanda McAllister asked him. Gibbs had talked about working some overtime this weekend.

"If something comes up I'll call. As for now you have the weekend off…Well everyone can go home. If the medical exam shows he was murdered I'll let you all know. " Gibbs said frustrated. Right then and there he decided to have a talk with his wife. The kids were left with Kate and Tony and the rest of the team including Abby and her assistant went home. Palmer and Ducky were still doing the autopsy.

……………..A while later………….

"Is he a good boss?" Nick asked. He was wondering after seeing the recent events.

"The best…"Tony answered.

"Then why don't I get that vibe from you?" Nick continued.

"We're not so good at showing it always." Kate answered.

"Is he a good dad?" Isabella asked. This was the question Nick had actually wanted to ask.

"I don't know but I think so…Why don't we go to the cafeteria to see if there is something there to eat?" Kate quickly answered. She didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, they will probably not be finished for a while." Tony stated.

Everyone knew Gibbs and Lauren were probably having an argument.

……………….A few minutes later…………

"Where is everyone?" Lauren asked looking at the empty office.

"Let's see if they are in the cafeteria or something." Gibbs suggested.

……………..At the cafeteria………………

"Not much to choose from." Tony told the teenagers.

"I see…A soda will be fine then." Nick told him.

"For me too." Isabella told him.

"And water for you. I know. Along with cookies for everyone" Tony told his wife.

As soon as he had given everyone their drinks and food his phone rang. It was an unknown number. He answered and the look on his face was indescribable. Just then Gibbs and Lauren walked in. Gibbs saw the look on his face and knew something was going on.

Then suddenly Tony put down his phone.

"A guy said he knew we were all in here, in the cafeteria…He said a bomb was here and under our cars too…I don't know if I should believe him or not but how could he know we all were here?"

"Through the cameras and internet." Nick suddenly said.

"We better get out of here and then call Abby." Gibbs said to them hoping that it just was a false bomb threat.


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't know that date was his birthday. Funny thing then. In my story his character's birthday is in late May.

………….10th of august……………

A lot had happened the past month. The marine who had died actually died because of a sickness. The bomb threats were false and no one could trace the phone call or find out who was after them… It didn't take so long for the Gibbs to get temporary custody over Isabella and when Nick after a week in New York was going to home to his parents he ran away the second day after coming home. Then when they found him he had run away again two days later. The last time he was found in Gibbs house by Gibbs. His parents had already moved away and no one wanted to take anymore responsibility for him since he clearly never listened to anyone. Lauren felt responsible and soon enough Nick moved to New York to Lauren and the Gibbs got temporary custody over him too. So once again he had two kids living in New York and fully content with life. In the back of his head he actually was happy because he felt he was getting a second chance with raising kids. The first time didn't go so well even though has a great relationship with his kids now. He couldn't believe he had changed so much. Nothing stayed the same and sometimes that was good and bad. Right now he only wanted to just work and get whoever was after them. It had been very quiet after the bomb threats. Fornell was quite sure it wasn't Ari who was after them again but then who was it…

………………..At work……………….

"So I know it is really hot today. Looks like the whole USA has the same weather. We haven't had so many cases during the last month but the ones we've solved we've solved pretty quickly and that is good…About our own case well our leads point to a few persons who are capable to do this but we don't know who of them it can be." Gibbs said and he couldn't continue because the phone rang.

"Why does the phone always have to ring when I'm talking?"

"You talk a lot, boss." Tony said before answering. Once again he got a strange expression on his face.

"A few cars have blown up outside the base. They are marine vehicles. No one was hurt" Tony told him.

"Ok, so McAllister and McGee come with me." Gibbs told them.

………………..At the place of the explosions…………….

When the three arrived some marines where watching over the vehicles.

"So what happened?" Gibbs asked them. Then suddenly from the bushes and behind the trees some people with weapons came up to them.

"We put bombs on them, blew them up and called you…It was quite easy…Just as easy as breaking into your office and taking some other people as hostages…" an unknown man told him.

Gibbs understood that it wasn't much he could do but someone must soon enough now they were missing.

………………At the office…………

"So how many people have we here?" one of the kidnappers asked before starting to count. It was 15 persons including Abby, Meggy (Meagan), Ducky, Palmer, Kate and Tony.

All their guns had been taking away from them and it was clear the kidnappers didn't care about dying since someone would any minute now find out they were kidnapped. Just as he thought they were going to stay there all the time they were taken away and put in a truck which went out of the base. This made him believe it was an inside job and only Ari could manage to plan such a thing. Everything that happened before just happened to make them think someone else was after them. Being told Gibbs and the others were kidnapped too didn't help. Right now Tony was most worried about Kate. She was 7 months pregnant and this could really make her sick and hurt both her and the baby.

……………….A few hours later on the news……………….

"30 persons at the marine have been kidnapped. Half of them disappeared when they were investigating some explosions outside their base and the other half disappeared when they were at the base. According to our sources the perpetrators cut the power at the base and took the hostages out that way. The police, FBI, CIA and Pentagon have launched investigations and are trying to find them as soon as possible." The news anchor said.

………

Nick was watching the news and immediately knew it had to be NCIS. He called Lauren who was at work. The two 14 year olds sat worried at home until Lauren came home. She had already got a call from Gibbs' boss about what had happened when Nick called her.

As soon as she got home she told they were going to Virginia, back home. When they were packing suddenly the power went out. The Gibbs family turned on the radio and an hour later they found out the power had actually gone in the eastern USA all the way down to Florida, a big part of Canada, California and some other western states and also some big parts of Europe…


	6. Chapter 6

…………4 hours later…………….

Everyone sat in a big warehouse. It was dark and only a couple of times did the guards turn on the light and then they used flashlights and other big mobile lights so they could see they didn't try to escape. You never knew when they were going to turn on the light. Everyone felt that any minute now they could get killed. Somehow the kidnappers did allow them to talk.

When Tony, Kate and the rest of the team entered the warehouse they saw how Gibbs and the others were there too. Immediately they knew that it was something against them and the rest had been taken just because they were there with them. When Gibbs, Tony and Kate exchanged looks a lot more was said than anyone could expect. As soon as everyone was in the warehouse the kidnappers decided to split them into two groups. The women on the other side and the men on the opposite. The fear Tony and Kate then felt could not be described and the anger Gibbs felt when he saw that couldn't either be described. If that wasn't clearly to make things much worse for them then what was? It was emotional torture and the kidnappers knew that. Gibbs and Tony weren't allowed to sit next to each other but the rest of the men could sit wherever they could. It was another sign they knew who they were and by all means they couldn't let them sit next to each other. Everyone wondered what was going to happen next and why they didn't use the ordinary lights.

…………

"Do you believe in God?" a marine asked Tony. Tony couldn't see his face but he remembered who the ones sitting next to him looked like from the last time the lights were turned on.

"If that will help you stay strong then the answer is yes." Tony replied. He didn't want him to feel bad because Tony didn't want to speak to him.

"My mother always said think of God in hard situations and I wonder if I should do this now…I'm catholic what are you?" the man asked Tony.

"I'm catholic too but I'm thinking more about my family." Tony told him. Kate was the one who took her religion a bit more serious than he did. Everything reminded him about her.

"All I have is a sister who lives in Boston. Tell me about your family." He said to Tony.

"My wife is pregnant and she is sitting on the other side of this room." Tony stated.

"I'm sorry." The man said and then he couldn't manage to say another word.

"Not your fault…It's mine." Tony said now wondering why he hadn't tried harder to convince her to stay home.

…………..

"Kate, are you alright?" Abby asked her.

"Don't know what to answer…I'm far from fine but alright during the circumstances. All I can think about is who they are and if Ari come up with this. Why can't he get out of our lives?" Kate said frustrated.

"I wonder the same." Abby said to her.

"I never thought this would happen to me when I joined the team." Amanda McAllister said to them.

"Neither did I." Meggy replied.

"We should have warned you better because not until Ari does something to you, you will fully understand how terrorists work…" Kate answered.

"When we get out of here I'll teach you everything you need to know." Abby then said trying to be hopeful.

……………

"Tony…"Gibbs whispered.

"What are you doing here? They'll kill you!" Tony said quietly.

"I don't care right now. So how many guards are on your side?" Gibbs asked him.

"They are six. On yours?" Tony asked.

"Six too. Are they divided in three and three too?" Gibbs continued.

"Yes…They go between the women and us. There are 8 women in the other group and 8 men in my group." Tony said to him. The men were divided in two groups so they couldn't see each other.

"There are 14 men in my group. So in total we are 30." Gibbs stated.

"You better go back before they see you. They can turn on the light any second now." Tony said worried.

"I'll take that risk. How are you feeling? The air isn't the best in here and I know you…"Gibbs said before getting interrupted. Tony didn't want to discuss his health at the moment.

"How are the others?" Tony then asked.

"Fine…I'll go back now." Gibbs said to him.

……………..

As soon as Gibbs got back to his place the lights were turned on.

"Ok, the women stand up. We're going somewhere." One of the guards told them.

Tony watched how Abby and McAllister helped Kate up and how they all left the room. Everyone who knew they were married saw the heartbroken faces of the two. With all the weapons in the room no one could do anything.

……………….Meanwhile somewhere else in the world…………

"So how are the bank robberies going?" one man asked another.

"Great. We've got enough money now."

"How many have died?"

"Two from our group and due to the power cut I have no idea how many in the world has died. Not so many but that wasn't our goal, was it?" the other man asked the man who seemed like the boss.

"No…Fear and letting them be helpless that was our goal. Make them feel like every poor person in the world." The boss replied.

…………

"Mrs Gibbs, great that you are here. The Dinozzos are here too. I see you brought your kids. The Dinozzos brought their daughter with them too." Her boss said to her, saying Mrs Gibbs than just Gibbs or Lauren because the kids were with her.

"That's good to hear. What is the latest?" she asked him while they were walking to the room where everyone else was. From their apartment they had walked through New York to get to FBI where Lauren Gibbs worked.

"Several bombs have exploded across the world to take out the power. We know some bank robberies and other robberies have taken place across the world too. There aren't so many satellites phone in the world so the information we are getting is minimal. Only one radio station per city is working due to the power loss and is only sending important messages…The search after the marines isn't so prioritised right now…They can be anywhere. Why don't we talk somewhere else? The kids don't need to hear this." Her boss told her.

"Why don't you go baby-sit Julia while I and the Dinozzos go talk in the other room?" Lauren asked them.

"Ok…" they answered to tired and upset to say anything else. Just as they thought their lives were finally going to get better this happened. Why was it so hard to become happy? Lauren saw this was harder on Nick for an unknown reason. He didn't want to talk about it but he said it was just hard. Isabella took it hard too but you could just sense it was harder on Nick. Lauren tried to think why it was like that because Nick had good parents but somehow they couldn't agree with Nick. Lauren and Gibbs had always wondered why it was so easy for his parents to give up on him. Was it because Gibbs promised to never give up on him even though they lived in different cities which made the difference?

…………..

"I've talked to Fornell. He still insists that Ari couldn't have masterminded this all on his own. Ari is a mystery to us. I have to be truthful. Kidnapping them and letting them go is probably not likely here…I think they got kidnapped so they can be killed. Our resources are limited right now and that makes it a lot harder to find them. I want to prepare you for the worst even though the other relatives won't get this information if we are able to get in touch with them." Lauren's boss told them.

"They can't be dead!" Max said to him.

"Until I see it with my own eyes he is not dead! I know there is something else Ari plans… Just tell Fornell that if I ever see him he won't come out of that meeting alive!" Lauren said angry.

"I can't say that to him and you know that…I know you just got custody of two teenagers and are afraid of being left alone with them and I know you two are worried about Anthony and Caitlin Dinozzo especially since Caitlin Dinozzo is pregnant but there isn't much we can do right now than hope they will somehow come out of this alive." He continued.

……………Nick and Isabella………

"I never got to say that he acted like the best dad in the world…"Nick told Isabella.

"Neither did I…It's funny that just as we get a new set of parents one disappears…I'm so numb right now." Isabella told him while holding Julia who was unaware about what was happening.

………….In the warehouse……

When the women left the room the men were allowed to walk around in the room for a while. Tony immediately went to Gibbs and McGee.

"We need to get out of here." Tony told them.

"I'm already thinking about something to get us out of here." Gibbs said to him.

"We all are." McGee reassured him.

Just then a few shots were fired and they could hear it came from outside the room. The men started to think that the women got killed. Gibbs watched Tony who tried his best to not show any emotions. Gibbs went up to him and hugged him and then they heard a few more shots. That was coming from the room they were in. McGee looked around and saw that everyone was still standing and the shots were fired in the roof. Suddenly all the guards left the room and quickly locked every exit. McGee couldn't stop thinking about world war two…


	7. Chapter 7

It is so hard for me not to write fast sometimes because the ideas really want to be written down. I hope you will like this part. I'm sorry if some of the things don't feel realistic. Feedback is very much appreciated. And Brixton-Hicks does exist.

………….6 hours later…………….

"Why are we still alive?" McGee asked the rest. It was a question which had been asked before but not until now they finally took it serious.

"There is a lot we can't answer and that is one of those things." Gibbs answered him. Being humble wasn't in him but this moment wasn't the right moment to act like he usually does. The uncertainty had taken a toll on everyone and it was clear that if they ever got out of there everyone was worried about what they would find outside. The fear of the warehouse being booby trapped with bombs was very vivid. How could they even try to break down the doors in fear of bombs killing them instead? The fear of seeing Tony's demise had become bigger for every hour which passed by. He still tried to be strong but the limited air supply and unhealthy air together with him worrying about his wife…Well in case of something was going to happen to Tony like his heart stopping suddenly Gibbs had rounded up some marines who knew and really remembered how to do CPR and made them ready to help Tony any second now… Despite that Tony insisted on doing everything to get them out of there instead of taking it easy and let others help him and the others…He wanted to fight until the end when it was unclear when the end was and it was evidently much closer to the end for him than anyone else because of his health status…

…………..Somewhere else in Virginia……

"They left us in the middle of the night in some forest…We can't be that far from a house since we found the road pretty quickly…"Abby told them. The walk down the dark road was hard. They didn't see any light anywhere and they were worried a car would suddenly hit them since it was raining pretty hard. They couldn't hear much since the wind was hard and the rain so strong. They were worried about slipping and hurting themselves. It had been so warm earlier on the day but they didn't understand why the weather was far from perfect now. No one could recall anyone saying the weather was going to be bad but they had been away for many hours and the worst part was that they didn't know where they were. They were still alive but for how long…

………..20 minutes later………….

"You guys…I feel something like a big fence…A fence like the base uses…" one of the marines suddenly yelled.

"Can we really be outside the base? It's so dark!" Meggy wondered but only Abby and Kate could hear her.

"Just keep walking everyone. A fence means people and we need to get to a shelter as soon as possible." Abby yelled in hope of that everyone heard her.

………..

A while later, a marine who was patrolling found the group and they were transported back to the base and later the hospital.

"Kate, what did the doctor say?" Abby asked really concerned.

"Besides being very cold, thirsty and hungry I'm fine…We both are going to be alright. You should go back to your boyfriend and try to reach your family." Kate replied.

"What are you going to do? I can't leave you alone!" Abby asked her.

"The weather is better and a helicopter is going to fly to New York soon. I could stay here alone but everyone is trying to get home or leave this area and Max and Andy insisted that I should be with them and right now I don't want to be a burden to anyone who was kidnapped or anyone else here. The safest place is not here where I got kidnapped so easily and the FBI headquarters in New York seems safe. Lauren and the kids are there too. I won't be alone…Are you going home?" Kate said to her.

"I'm staying with Tom, Meggy is staying with a friend and Amanda has already gone home. She told me to say she hoped you were alright and that you could talk later. Amanda hoped they would find the guys soon." Abby explained.

"I still don't understand why they let us go. Who were they?" Kate asked her.

"Try not to think about it. Just rest since you have a long flight ahead of you." Abby told her while holding her hand and smiling. She was just happy everyone in their group survived and hoped the men would survive too.

……………When Kate arrived in New York………….

"I never thought I would see you alive again. I was so worried." Max said while running over to her. Lauren, Andy, Julia, Nick and Isabelle quickly followed. A big group hug happened…

"I missed you too…So fill me in…They couldn't explain much to me on the base." Kate told them.

"Sit down and we'll tell you what we know which isn't so much." Andy said to her showing her where she could sit. Then the explanation about what was happening in the whole world was explained to her. No one knew when they could get the power back on…The worst news what that a big storm was now headed towards Virginia. The weather hadn't got better as predicted but doing a forecast now had been much harder for the meteorologists.

……………2 hours later………..

"Ok, are guys sure you want to do this? We don't know if there are bombs at the door or not." Tony wondered with a frail voice when the guys had taken a large metal pole which they had fought hours with to take down. There had been many rumours floating around on what was going to happen to them, what happened to the women and what the next step in the terrorists' plan was…Getting everyone to work together was a challenge but they somehow in the end manage to get over disagreements and started to work together even if it was just a little work being done.

Gibbs had finally had enough after the all the talk but no action and he started to yell and say this wasn't the way to get out of here. That was how everyone decided to work together than rather just be frustrated, cold, hungry and thirsty…Tony tried to follow his orders as much as he could. A light smack in the head came once and Tony thought it was because he should focus but Gibbs did it to see if he was still awake or rather alive. Seeing him shutting his eyes hurt him in ways no one could describe. He didn't want to be the one who held Tony his last seconds alive and he definitely didn't want to tell Kate what happened. Gibbs could see himself talking on Tony's funeral with Kate and the baby there…There was no doubt in his mind the women were still alive because they were still alive. They could have killed them all a long time ago but hadn't…That was an important sign to Gibbs. It was also something he over and over again told Tony so he would still have hope. As long as Tony tried to joke around he knew Tony had hope left. Gibbs didn't want to think about how Tony would act if Kate no longer was alive. His whole existence would fall apart and coming back to life would seem impossible for him. It was the same way Jethro "Jet" Gibbs felt for Lauren and all four of his kids and Lauren's kids…

…………………Meanwhile in New York…………….

Kate was lying in the sofa with many blankets on her and now also well fed. Everyone had made sure she was comfortable and feeling well. The more the hours passed by the harder it got. Finally it got too much for Kate and she demanded to be alone in the room. When she was alone after making sure no one saw or heard her she let it all out. She cried and cried…

"Kate, it'll be alright." Max said after peaking in to see how she was. Max didn't dare to leave her alone for more than five minutes. After Max went in then came Lauren. Andy stood in the doorway holding Julia.

"You'll be alright…Think happy thoughts. Have faith and hope…He's alive just as much as I know Gibbs is alive." Lauren said to her trying to comfort her.

"I…" was all she managed to say before crying some more.

"Tony is so proud over you and your baby. He didn't want us to say this but as soon as he got copies of the ultrasound video he sent it to not only to your immediate family but a few more. The proudest father someone could ever be. So along with your mother, his mother, your sister and some of his and your friends got it…They all got a copy." Max told her.

"Even I got one…"Lauren told her.

"Have you talked about some names?" Max suddenly said to make her think about something positive.

"He doesn't want Anthony Jr if it is a boy…Maybe Kane, Thomas, Adam…"Kate managed to say after a while. Her tears had stopped.

"Maybe even Jethro…"Lauren said and then everyone laughed. That was something they needed.

"No, not Jethro…If it is a girl maybe Claire, Cate with a C after me, Emma, Tara…We've discussed so many names but it is so hard…It was something we were going to do together…" Kate said with tears now starting to run down her cheeks again.

"You two will come up with a great name!" Max said to her.

"Does it really hurt like hell in the back when you're in labour?" Kate suddenly asked.

"Please, don't tell me you…" Max asked in disbelief.

"I don't know…I've never done this before." Kate said worried.

"Andy, we need a doctor right away…Try to find one because we can't get to a hospital." Lauren yelled. The hospitals were already full and getting to a hospital would be hard enough.

"Maybe it is just false contractions. You know Brixton-Hicks…Take it easy and breathe…" Max encouraged her.

"You think?" Kate replied between her breaths.

"You've been through a lot of stress…I'm sure it is just Brixton-Hicks…I had them with my first baby and Kevin wasn't born prematurely and he is just fine now." Lauren reassured her.

Max and Lauren looked at each other when Kate had closed her eyes to concentrate on her breathing and they weren't so sure it was just Brixton-Hicks. If something was really wrong Kate and the baby could die.

………….In Virginia……….

"I can't believe we're out…It took so much time and now there is a storm and no power anywhere…We need to find a real road and then the base…" Gibbs said as they were walking on a road which led from the warehouse.

"Gibbs, watch out for the pole…" Tony yelled as he pushed him out of the way from the electricity pole which was on the way to fall down on them and some others.

Gibbs noticed that instead of him the pole was heading towards Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

………………In Virginia in the storm………….

"Tony, are you alright?" Gibbs asked just seconds after he saw the pole landing right beside Tony.

"Couldn't be better boss…Let's get out of here!" Tony stated while thinking about how many times near death he has been.

"Watch out for the truck!" someone yelled. The truck just stopped right before Tony and Gibbs. A marine came out from the truck. He turned on his flashlight and went over to them. It was windy and raining heavily.

"Are you the ones who were kidnapped?" the marine asked.

"Yes…How did you find us?" Gibbs asked.

"We found the women a few hours ago and with their descriptions we tried to locate where you were." He answered.

"Is everyone alright?" Tony immediately asked him.

"They are all alright. They've all gone home." He told them.

………..At the base……….

"Where is my wife Caitlin Dinozzo?" Tony asked a guy as soon as he came to the base.

"I'll try to see if anyone knows." A marine said to him. 20 minutes later another marine came to Tony and Gibbs.

"She flew to New York with a helicopter. She said she had family there. She is currently at the FBI building with your family and the Gibbs family." He explained to them.

"Did you let them know we're alright?" Gibbs asked them.

"Yes I did but I have some bad news too…Your wife has gone into labour. They are looking for a doctor so he can stop the labour. We have orders to use the satellites phones carefully so I'm not sure you can talk to your wife." He explained to Tony.

"No…It is 2 months left…" Tony said now worried. He had heard about the chaos across the world and everything which could go wrong always happened to them.

………………………Meanwhile at FBI …………………

"They've given us some information about the power. Are you interested in hearing about it?" Andy asked Max, Lauren and Kate.

"After you fill us in on the doctor situation!" Kate tried to say calmly but she screamed it just like women in labour do.

"We're doing our best. Please hang in there. They've sent for someone to get some medicines from the hospital so when a doctor comes he can stop the contractions. Everything will be just fine…" Andy tried to reassure her.

"We know that already…Is the power coming back soon?" Max wondered.

"The good news is that it weren't bombs which made the power go. It was someone hacking in and destroying the computers. The bad news is that they need to go over everything until they feel safe enough to start letting the power on. No one knows if it will take hours, days, weeks or months since maybe they had also tampered with power lines, distribution stations or nuclear plants. It looks like an inside job across the globe and cutting the power leaving people clueless about what is going to happen next they thought was a smart move…" Andy explained seeing how much in pain his sister-in-law was. It wasn't him who should share this moment with her it was her husband. He remembered how he felt when Max was in labour.

"Agent Dinozzo…The doctor is here and so are the medicines. I also need to talk to you three outside the room." Some other agent told him while the doctor went in. Andy, Max, Lauren went out of the room.

"I don't want to be alone." Kate said scared.

"I'll be right back." Lauren assured her.

"Me too." Max told her.

………Outside the room………..

"They've found the men. Everyone is alright." The agent told them.

"Can we talk to them?" Andy asked.

"We need to tell Tony what is going on!" Max said.

"I told the one I talked to say to agent Dinozzo his wife is in labour and that the Dinozzo and Gibbs families are alright and they all are in the FBI headquarters in New York…Everyone has orders to only use the satellite phones for important things and I don't think letting you talk to agent Dinozzo as important." The agent continued.

"Too bad because I do. Now get me the phone so I can talk to him." Andy demanded.

"We'll go back to Kate and tell her the news. Maybe the good news can make her feel better." Max said to everyone.

………….In Kate's room……..

"I've given her medicines to stop the contractions. She is dilated a centimetre only and that is good. All that she needs is to stay in bed and not do a lot of things for two months. I can stay here for a little while longer but then I need to go back to work." The doctor told them when they entered the room.

"Kate, we have some great news. Tony and everyone else are alive and well. We're trying to see if you can talk to him." Lauren told her.

For the first time in a very long time she smiled but you could still see she was in pain.

…………..Two months later………

A baby was born and at that moment Tony and Kate couldn't have been prouder parents.

……………..2 years later…………

"So are your parents divorced? You only live with your mother." One of Isabella's new friends asked her.

"No…They are still happily married but my dad works in Virginia and they've come to an agreement that mom, Nick and I should live in New York. It was an arrangement they did when they got custody over us." Isabella explained.

"So Nick isn't really your brother but he is since he is living with you? Am I right?" the friend asked.

"Yes, you're right…So now over Halloween we're going back to visit our dad in Virginia."

"How come you and Nick call them mom and dad?" her friend asked.

"It's easier that way so we don't need to explain this a million times to unknown people and Lauren and Gibbs didn't object. My mother died when I was five, my stepmother was only in my life for a few years,my biological dad wasn't a good one and Nick had trouble with his parents…They are just the best parents we ever got…" Isabella explained.

"So are you going to do anything fun in Virginia?"

"I'm going to a christening…Some good friends of ours just got a daughter. She was born in July and we haven't been able to see her yet so I'm excited to see her. She has a lovely name too just as her big brother." Isabella explained.

"So what are their names?"

"Alexander Michael Dinozzo and Catherine Sasha Dinozzo." Isabella replied.

"Don't you know someone here in New York named Dinozzo? I recall meeting them once." Her friend wondered.

"Yes…It is his brother Tony and his wife Kate who just got another child. Andy and his wife Max have a son and daughter too…It's a bit complicated to explain how everyone is related and how everyone knows each other."

"So do you only go back to Virginia when someone is getting married or christened?" her friend asked her.

"I know it seems like that but it isn't. It is just everyone is either getting married or having children. Abby and her husband did get married in June and McGee and his fiancée are getting married in December…And next year Abby is going to have a baby…And also Palmer and Ducky surprisingly getting married last year came as a big surprise but we've been through a lot and it is like a snowball effect so when Ducky got married, then Palmer, Abby and now McGee…" Isabella continued.

"So who is next after McGee?" her friend asked.

"I'm glad I still don't know that…" Isabella assured her.


End file.
